The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-09-22
REAL ACTORS.


Players Of That Great City--Ths Bhyness
Of Managers 20 Push strugsling 0soius
"A New Society Of Decorative Art.
Especial Corssspoadsses.l
PARIs-We are told that there is Q
dearth Of real actors in this year Of
grace, and certain theatrical oracles are
very respondent concerning the future
Of the French stage. NJ. Theodore Mas.
sisc wonders whether 1.-THE last of
national glories" is not going to the dogs.
The number Of dramatic authors, II
seems, grows smaller by degrees; you
may see one arise only every two or
three years, and that one shines but
little while. The fame Of the French
stage is in the keeping of the old favor.
ties, who remain young in spite Of their
wrinkles, and even these old "stagers"
may be reckoned on the fngersi Ac-
cording to NJ. Francisque Sarcey, French
mothers no longer give birth to come.
dams. There is certainly no dsarth Of
young men studying for the dramatic
PAOACOoAVut oA0 0As 0oASSy 0uAAso thoe
the Conservatoire has never been 90
much besieged as now. The bourgeoisie
supplies numbers Of would-be histrions,
under the impression that the actors
calling 10 an ordinary business, in
which . man may make % large
fortune and become respectable
and famous without much exer-
ton. But the bourgeoisie has never
had, as some fond parents perhaps
imagine, the sole privilege of producing
famous actors. Moliere was the pupil
Of Gassendi, while some of the most dis
tinguished performers Of later times were
men of the highest education and breed
ing-Talma, Samson, Bresssnt, M. Lafon.
TAME, M. Regnier, NJ. Dumaine, Melingue,
Arnal and others. Rachel was, indeed,
. street-singer, but that cannot be said Of
Mile. Mars, nor Of Mime. Arnould- -Plessy.
Az rule, knowledge Of the highest or.
der 10 needed to make talent successful.
Just now the Conservatoire Is hive Of
histrionic bees, but the theatres seem to
profit little, and M. Massiac laments that
nowhere can be found q .jeune premier, Q
premier rok dc drGne, or q tragic
mother" The Comedie Franchise alone
possesses 0rGnds o0Quette-Mlle. Tholer
but 1t has lost N. Coquelin, Q man Of
many parts. Nevertheless, the house Of
Molfere still maintains the best all-round
troupe, though their recent performances
were not altogether what they should
have been, and enc, a representation of
"Tartuffe," was adversely criticised, even
by the country sight-seers who flock
into Paris at this season.
As for the other houses the Vaudeville
troupe is incomplete, but it includes some
exponents of the first order, such as MN.
Dupius, Diendonne and Jolly. The Va
rietes also has good company; but after
speaking Of these three It is well to 90
no further. What is the cause of this
lack Of talent? The best authorities
blame neither the Conservatoire teach
nor the class from which the young
artists are recruited, although that class
is perhaps not SO much changed for the
better as some would have us believe;
but they attribute the present decay of
the drama principally to lack of courage
amongst managers, to the small number
of pieces played during the year, and the
few successes in q season. These three
things, say the prophets, will be the
death of dramatic art, unless q remedy
be Immediately sought for and ap-
piled. Managers will not try an artist any
more than they will try an author. Some
times they are forced to make an expert
ment with new author, but they take
| good care that he sails under the
Gag of well-known playwright. NJ.
Sardou was obliged to couple his name
with that of NJ. Vanderbusch In order to
produce Les Prsmieres Armes do Figaro,
his first triumph. M. Vanderbusch had
ON "the first night" NJ. Sardou asked his
old flag" to let him have the honor, the
other replied, "Jansais de Ia cie! Our
piece is success, and when I have q
success don't let 1t CO." Sardou's ex-
perience on that occasion may have made
him rather unfeeling toward other begin
ners, as he is said to be sometimes. As
for actors, managers cannot impose q
partner upon them, but itis only by rare
chance that talented young man is suf-
| fered to emerge from Obscurfty. And
even amongst those who are known, how
many vegetate whilst seeking q stage
| where they can appear decentlyf Man
| ayers leave talented actors unoccupied,
and some of these managers own names
that are known the world over. Some
time ago N. Sarcey told US . story Of .
young and well-known comedian who
asked him for Recommendation to the
administrator Of the Comedie Franchise.
do uuu III 1oCs blIcauy DclOuSou 10 tu0
house, but had waited 80 long for role
that he grew tired of waiting and left.
Paris has q Society Of Decorative
Arts" the object of which 10 to vulgar
ize amongst the people and especially
! amongst the workmen employed in art
| workshops the 'esthetic ideas and learn
ing which have so far been the privileges
of favored few" To this end 1t dis
tributes to the schools, the manufactures
and the provincial museums fac-similes
Of interesting artistic masterpieces Of
all times and ages. Everybody cannot
travel into foreign lands to study the ex-
smples and traditions Of ancient art, nor
can these relics of past ages-some Of
them Of priceless value-be carted about
for exhibition. But the French work
man, who is naturally clever in matters
of this kind, has, thanks to the techni-
cal education given by the Society Of
Decorative Arts, succeeded in produc-
ing copies Of old-time objects which are
the despair of collectors and antiquities.
The connoisseur who pays $4,000, $4,000
or even $2O, 900 for some ancient vase or
other may some day find in q country
museum cunning reproduction Of
this very thing-the same colora-